1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the technical field of wireless communication devices and, in particular, to techniques for measuring, recording, and displaying signal strengths and other parameters as a function of location.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known in the art that cellular wireless systems rely on base stations that cover a limited geographic area, and that a cellular telephone needs to be within the reach of a base station to be able to place, receive or conduct a call. Coverage in any cellular system is not universal, and cell phones are well-known to have an ability to display signal strength.
In some circumstances signal strength may be a life-or-death matter. There are many instances where a person or persons have gotten lost in an area with poor or no cellular coverage, and has died as a result of not being able to call for help.
There exist databases of cellular signal strength as a function of location, but these data are unavailable when a user needs them the most, that is, when the user is already in a location with no useable cellular signal.
When a cellular phone user has poor or no cellular coverage, there is no way for said user to know where a useable cellular signal might be found. For example, thousands of people die every year while lost in the wilderness, but if they were able to place phone calls for help they could be rescued. Many of those people are within walking distance of a useable cellular signal but have no way of knowing whether it exists or where to find it.
A solution to this technical problem that would allow users in a no-coverage location to find a useable cellular signal would thus be of great value. Several advantages of one or more aspects are to provide a map of cellular signal strength data as a function of location that is available to a mobile device user even when said device is unable to access the internet. These and other advantages of one or more aspects will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and accompanying drawings.